Thorned Memories
by AngelKumori
Summary: "This is not the end of me. This is the beginning." No name, no memory, nowhere to go. A girl wakes up in the terror known as the Underground beneath the capital city in Wall Sina. Luck is on her side though as she is taken in by three people who have just as much as a clue as to her she is as she does. This is where their story begins.
1. Chapter 1 - The Forgotten Girl

"What on Earth?" She muttered as she rubbed the back of her head. Her eyes felt extremely heavy and didn't feel to the girl like they were going to open any time soon. "What the hell happened to me? Where am I?" A rush of panic washed over her as she tried to remember anything at all; any scrap of memory that could tell her what was going on. She attempted to calm herself down and slow down her breathing. She felt completely and utterly lost and didn't like the feeling in the slightest. She felt like someone who'd entered unexplored territory with no means of knowing where she is or why she was there.

She took her hand away from her head only to find that it felt wet. She urged her eyes to open and with a lot of effort they did. Her vision was hazy but she could tell that her hand was covered in red. "Is this blood? Why is my head bleeding?" The girl's breaths became fast and panicked again as she looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings. The buildings were run down and she could tell by the ceiling that she was underground somewhere. Moonlight shone in from numerous small cracks above the girl giving her some form of light to see. There was water all over the ground and none of it looked clean. There were plenty of other people besides her laying in it. She was in some run down cavern by the looks of things. "How did I get here?" She groaned.

The girl tried to stand but her legs quickly buckled from underneath her and she fell straight back to the ground. "Damn it," She hissed in pain. She tried to stand again but she couldn't even get to her feet anymore. She dragged herself over to a wall and leaned her back against it. She tried again to remember how she got here and this time she remembered some things she must have been feeling. Greif, sadness, desperation: why was she feeling like this? What could make her feel such horrible emotions and how could she not remember at all? She tried to remember further but her mind became dizzy and foggy. Her head felt heavy and her eyes soon started to close again.

"I can't fall asleep in a place like this," she said as she willed herself to get up. She used the wall as support and stood. "Damn it," she cursed again. The girl focused on taking steps and her body trudged forward. "All I need to do is find some shelter. I just need to hide." She focused on those goals and kept moving forward.

As she walked, she noticed three figures up ahead. She could tell by the fact that other people were lying around that it wasn't a good chance that someone would take her in. She walked past the three and kept walking until she tripped on a loose stone and fell to the ground. She heard the sounds of the footsteps stop.

"Can we really just leave her like that?" a man asked. _Are they talking about me? _She wondered.

"I agree with Farlan. Someone who looks like her out in the open, you know what will happen to her," a girl said in response. Silence followed other than the sound of footsteps getting closer. The girl tried to keep her eyes open but she couldn't see very much with the little amount of strength she had left. She saw someone's feet as they crouched down next to her.

"What the fuck happened to her?" the man next to her muttered under his breath. He let out a sigh as the girl felt him pick her up. She was surprised that someone of his stature was able to carry a full grown girl. "Tch, disgusting." That's the last thing she heard before she blacked out completely.

The girl snuggled her neck further into the softness of the pillow and smiled as the warmth of the sheets engulf her. _Wait a second, pillow and sheets?_ She thought to herself as she opened her eyes and bolted up only to be greeted with pain to her head. She groaned and tried to hold her head only to find that her hands were tied behind her back. "Be careful. If you try to get up too fast you'll just get a headache."

"Um yes I found that out the hard way," she mumbled nervously.

"We'd get you some medicine for that but we don't exactly have that option down here," he frowned. The man next to her seemed to be in his early twenties with pale brown hair and light grey blue eyes.

"T-that's okay. You don't have to worry too much about me. It's not like we know each other or anything like that," she said with a slight smile, "Thank you for taking me in at all. I don't think I'd be doing too well if you hadn't."

"A girl like you in a place like this; no you wouldn't be doing well at all. You're just lucky we found you stumbling around out there. What happened to you anyway?" he asked curiously. He knew of children being abandoned but it was rare to see someone as mature and as attractive as her to be left to die. She looked down and slowly shook her head.

"I don't know. I just woke up and started walking to try and hide," she explained.

"Well other than your clothes being covered in dust they were intact so I don't think anything too bad happened to you other than that head injury. We got you just in time," he said with a small smile. He knew in a situation like this it wouldn't help to worry her.

"It looks like I got really lucky. I don't want to know what would have happened without you."

"You won't have to know," he mumbled as he tried to ignore the possibilities. He quickly changed to another subject "Where are you going to go after this? Do you have any place to stay?"

"I- I don't know. I don't remember," she stuttered. Her panic started to rise again and she started to shake.

"You don't remember?" he asks surprised. He had considered that she might not remember some things due to her injury but he had no idea as to what extent it might be. She shook her head in response. "Do you remember anything at all?" She shook her head again.

"What's going on? W-why can't I remember anything?" As her panic increased her head started to ache again.

"Look it's gonna be alright," the man said nervously trying to calm her down. He cautiously put his hand on her shoulder and she flinched slightly before her panicking comes to a near complete stop.

"T-thanks. And thank you for taking me in. I hope I'm not too much trouble," she mumbled.

"No you're not at all. You've just been sleeping for the past couple of days," he laughed and removed his hand from her shoulder.

"A couple of days?" she gasped. He chuckled some more at her reaction.

"It's expected. After all you must have lost a lot of blood," he explained to her.

"I suppose so. I'm sorry I don't know your name," she said with a slight smile. The man mentally hit himself for forgetting to introduce himself.

"Oh I'm sorry. My name is Farlan. Do you remember your name?"

"I-I don't. You haven't seen me before have you?" she asked in hope. Surprise appeared on his facial features before being taken over by sympathy.

"I haven't. Maybe Levi or Isabel have seen you around before," he muttered under his breath. Though it was a possibility he highly doubted that the two had ever seen her before. They both had seemed equally as surprised to see her in this dump.

"Who are Levi and Isabel?"

"They're the two that I live with. Levi actually carried you here which is odd seeing as he hates getting any dirt on him," Farlan told her.

"Is that so? I should thank him for that." She mumbled to herself. Farlan laughed softly.

"What's so funny?" she asked confused.

"He won't care if you thank him. That's just the kind of guy he is." It was true. Levi didn't care for gratitude; he had very little of it himself. The thought of him every being grateful that someone thanked him amused Farlan

"Well thanking him won't hurt. Hey Farlan, could you possibly untie me please? The rope is starting to burn my wrist."

"Yes of course. I'm sorry about that; we can't just let people in without precaution." He pulled out a pocket knife from his vest and cut the rope. She put my wrist in front of her and rolled them around to stop them from being so stiff.

"That makes sense. It didn't look a friendly place out there. Where are we exactly?" He sighed at her cluelessness. She really didn't know a thing.

"We're in the Underground. It's a place you go when you have nowhere else. I suppose you can guess what it's like." The girl nodded and cringed at the thought of what it must be like. They sat in silence for a few minutes until he spoke again, "I understand if you don't want to but would you like to stay with us for a while. I know it's dangerous down here and all and we aren't exactly the good guys but we could use the extra help," he said as he ran his hand through his hair. He couldn't believe what he'd just asked but he felt pity for the helpless girl in front of him. If she couldn't stay there where would she go? No where good, he was sure of that.

"Are you sure? I don't want to burden you at all. I could go and look around for another place if you like," she said quickly. She didn't want to give these people more work than they already had. As Farlan had told her and from what she had gathered, life down there was no where easy.

"A shitty brat like you wouldn't last a day out there. You'd be dead before you even knew it." She turned my attention from Farlan to the man that stood in the doorway. His dark raven hair was styled in undercut and his features had very little emotion to them other than annoyance.

"Oh I uh," She stumbled over her words trying to think of what to say.

"Welcome back Levi," Farlan said with clear respect.

_"So this is Levi," _she thought.

"Did you get what you needed?"

"That and a little bit more; there's just enough spare for her." His eyes pierced hers with is intimidating gaze as he studied her intently. "Are you going to tell me your name?" he asked impatiently. She tore her eyes from his and looked down.

"There's a problem with that Levi," Farlan sighed, wondering how his stubborn friend would react.

"What would that be?" Levi snapped

"I-I don't remember it," the girl stuttered. His eyes widened slightly for a split second before returning to their cold glare.

"How don't you remember something as simple as that? What are you an idiot? Only a shitty moron would have that happen to them." She stared at him blankly for a moment before her eyes started watering. _How could he say that without even a smirk or regret?_ She cursed and wiped the tears away. She didn't want to appear weak to this man. This was obviously a man who didn't tolerate it.

"Levi don't you think that was a bit much?" Farlan asked slightly annoyed and Levi scoffed.

"Maybe I am Levi. Maybe I'm just a fucking moron who can't even remember her own god damn name," she snapped, clenching her fists. Farlan looked at her surprised. Barely anyone stood up to Levi let alone someone smaller and weaker. "Just because I can't remember who I am doesn't remember how I am doesn't mean I'm going to let you talk shit about me. I may be a moron Levi, but I'm sure as hell not stupid." The girl looked back into his eyes which remained stoic. He nodded and walked out.

"Are you okay?" Farlan asked. She sniffled and wiped the remaining tears away. Despite the fact she was crying Farlan was still impressed. _"This girl could be useful to us after all," _he thought with a smile.

"Not really," she muttered, "I shouldn't have snapped like that. I'm sorry."

"No no it's alright. It's completely understandable. Come on let's go get some food. You're probably hungry." She nodded and stood up. The two walked out into what the dining room. Instantly she noticed Levi leaning up against a wall and a girl sitting at an unstable looking table.

"Oh you're awake," the red haired girl said jumping up and running over. She grabbed the newcomer's hands and started jumping up and down.

"Uh yeah, I am," the girl chuckled nervously. She didn't want to be rude to one of the three who had taken her in so she went along with it.

"I was starting to get worried that you wouldn't." The smaller girl looked at the red head surprised.

"Th-thank you for worrying about me but I'm alright."

"Oh come and sit down. You're probably tired." She didn't even get the chance to respond before she was pulled onto the rickety chair. Despite the fact that she had been sleeping for days she didn't argue with the overly enthused girl.

"This is Isabel. As I said before she's the other person who lives here," Farlan explained, chuckling slightly at her reaction to his outgoing friend. Her red hair was tied back and her green eyes were staring eagerly into the new addition's.

"It's nice to meet you Isabel," she said with a small smile.

"She's so quiet and cute!" Isabel squealed.

"Isabel, stop," Levi snapped at Isabel's enthused mood which instantly vanished at his request.

"Sorry Big Bro. Hey I don't know your name or who you are."

"Neither does she," Levi grumbled.

"What do you mean?" Isabel tilted her head in confusion.

"Because of her injury she doesn't remember who she is," Farlan explained for the shy girl.

"Nothing at all? Not even your name?" She shook her head at Isabel. Everything went silent and all eyes fell on her.

"Thank you all for taking me in. I appreciate it. If I'm being a bother I can go somewhere-" she was cut off.

"Didn't you hear a word I told you before? You wouldn't last a day out there without knowing anything," Levi said annoyed.

"I did but I don't want to end up getting you into any more danger," I say. Levi stared at her and clicked his tongue.

"You'll stay here." Farlan looked at Levi completely surprised and Isabel looked excited. The girl looked at him shocked. He didn't seem the type to really care for taking people in. "You're going to have to learn how to survive down here and listen to everything I say; no exceptions," he explained. She didn't know what words to say so she just nodded slowly. "I have some spare gear that you can use and we'll start practising tomorrow. I don't take any slacking."

"Thank you Levi."

"You're going to get into a lot of trouble. You know that?" Farlan warned to which she nodded.

"I'm fine with that. All I really want to do is stay alive for the mean time. I don't care about anything else." Her voice is quiet but she didn't intend for it to come out as cold as it did.

"Good," Levi said. He looked the girl over once more. She wasn't skinny but she wasn't overly large. She had a similar shape to Isabel's who had been using the gear for a while. Her cute appearance could get them some extra things if she was up to the job and if she were to stay there he would make sure she was.

"This is great! I finally have another girl around here. You have no idea how bad it is just living with two guys," Isabel grinned.

"How is it that bad?" she hesitantly asked.

"Trust me you don't want to know. Anyway why don't I show you around? It'll be good for you to know your way around here."

"Is it really dangerous out there?"

"That is an understatement," Isabel sighed.

"Make sure you eat before you leave Brat. I don't need you fainting out in the middle of the street," Levi ordered. She nodded and picked up the piece of bread in front of her. She took a bite into the stale food and groaned at how bad it was. Still, it was better than nothing at all.

As she finished the bread Levi clicked his tongue again, "Let's go." He stood from against the wall and walked towards the front door. The three of them follow him out into the abandoned, filthy streets. "Disgusting," Levi muttered as he looked around.

_"It looks like no matter how long you've down here you don't get used to the condition of this place," _she thought, "_Maybe they haven't actually been down here that long_."

"Listen up Brat. If you ever lose sight of us you're dead. Do you understand?" he looked straight into the girl's eyes.

"Yes." She quickened her pace slightly so that there was no chance of her falling behind.

"This is a dangerous place. You won't survive without training. You seem a kind person bit down here that can get you killed. You're going to do shit that might trouble you later on. I'm not going to lie to you; living isn't fucking enjoyable. Since they abandoned the place the Underground has become a place for criminals and that includes us. It's the only way to survive." His monotone voice made her shiver slightly.

_"It's easy to tell that however long he has been down here it's been far too long."_

Though the place was filthy, it had its own sense of beauty about it to the girl. The crumbling buildings are a sight that for some reason put her slightly at ease; only slightly. There were suspicious looking characters everywhere staring at the four of them as they walked by. "This is nerve wracking," she whispered.

"Don't worry about it too much. You'll learn to get used to it. Out here in the open with possible military police surveillance they won't do a thing. Plus we have our own ways of defending ourselves," Farlan explained. She nodded and continued to walk. They weren't out for very long but it was long enough for her to get a sense of where the house was as well as places not to go to unless someone else was with her.

There wasn't much sense of time with the only source of moonlight coming from far off in the distance. The only real light came from the candles faintly lighting the surrounding houses. She didn't argue with Levi when he said it was time to go back to the house.

When they arrived the girl was told that she'd be sharing a room with Isabel. Though she was really loud, Isabel was a nice person and she didn't think rooming with her would be a bad thing. When she walked into her new bedroom she changed into some clothes they had gotten from the market and started getting ready for bed. She'd been asleep for two full days but somehow she still felt exhausted. When she'd finished changing Isabel walked in.

"How are you holding up?"She asked with a smile.

"I'm not really sure. I'm just really confused to be honest."

"I don't blame you. It must be hard not even knowing your name. Those clothes fit you well at least and they suit you to," she said grinning some more.

"I hope they do. I think I'll get used to the name thing and I don't know how the clothes look on me. I don't even know what I look like," she mumbled the last part though Isabel still managed to hear her.

"Wait right here then." She ran out of the room and came back less than a minute later. Isabel waved a cracked mirror in her new friend's face and laughed, "At least now you'll know something about yourself." The girl stared at her reflection, carefully studying it. She had deep, dark brown hair that was near black and reached down to her chest. Her skin was pale and her eyes were a deep emerald green colour with specks of brown around them.

"That's me?" she gasped.

"It sure is; you're really cute," Isabel chuckled as the girl continued to look in the mirror, "It's a wonder why you're down here and covered in dirt. You could easily pass for a Nobel in Wall Sina."

"Wall Sina?" the clueless girl asked.

"There's a lot you need to learn but we'll save that for another day. I'm not really the best teacher," Isabel softly laughed.

"That's fine. Don't worry about it on my part."

"By the way is that a scar on your arm?" The girl quickly looked down and to see that Isabel right. There was a long faint scar running up from her wrist to her elbow on her right arm.

"What the heck is this from?" she muttered with wide eyes, "How didn't I notice this when I was changing?"

"I don't know. It looks pretty bad though," Isabel trailed off. The girl decided to quickly change the subject.

"Is Levi going to be hard on me tomorrow with training?" she asked.

"Big Brother doesn't go easy on anyone so it will be pretty tough. I'm sure you'll be fine though. You seem smart enough to work everything out."

"If you say so," she yawned.

"You can take the bed. You're the injured one after all," Isabel offered.

"No I can't do that. I'll just have the floor. As long as I have a pillow and blanket I'll be fine," she replied instantly.

"You're on the bed," Isabel demanded but she wasn't very intimidating.

"No you are. I'm the one intruding therefore I get the floor." She grabbed a blanket and pillow that were set out for her on Isabel's bed and set them out on the floor. Before Isabel could argue back she lied down and rested her head on the clumpy pillow. "Goodnight Isabel." She could hear Isabel sigh then laugh behind her.

"Sleep well."

As she slept she had no dreams; not even a nightmare. She didn't have any fears or any hopes to fill them. She had nothing but she knew that that wouldn't be the case for long. She didn't realise how lucky she was and she was curious as to whether it was a blessing or a curse that she got to start over completely. What had she started over from? Was it good or bad? These questions floated through her mind just waiting to be answered as she lost consciousness.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Training Girl

"Hey Brat, get up," she heard someone say. She pulled the blanket over her head and snuggled into it further.

"Five more minutes," she sleepily mumbled.

"How are you comfortable on a fucking floor?" he said irritably. He couldn't understand it at all. The floor must have been filthy as well.

"I don't know Levi. I just am,"

"Tch, just be ready in ten minutes." She heard him leave the room before she sat up and stretched her limbs.

"Why can't I just sleep?" she muttered under my breath, "I'm sure it's some ridiculous hour of the morning." She looked on Isabel's neatly made bed to see the clothing that they had gotten for her to wear. It was a pair of black jeans with a plain white button up collared top to go with it. There was one more thing that went with it; an extremely confusing set of belts. She stared at the brown pieces of material and the more she looked the less of an idea she had of where to start. "What am I going to do? I only have a few minutes and I don't have a clue what to do," she thought aloud.

"I thought you might need a hand with those." She turned to the doorway to see Isabel grinning at her, "They can be a real pain in the ass."

"It's as if you read my mind," she laughed quietly. Isabel chuckled at her comment and picked up the belts. One step at a time Isabel instructs her on where each piece went. It took a few attempts at which a few Isabel laughed quite loudly. Watching her reminded Isabel of her when Levi had first shown her how to dress herself in the complex belts. Soon enough the belts were all on and tightened. "Thank you Isabel."

"Don't worry about it. I had a lot of trouble with them when I first tried them on," Isabel explained. She grabbed the pair of knee high boots and pull them onto her feet.

"I can see how." She took the mirror which was lying on the floor in her hand and groaned at her hair's appearance. It was a complete mess.

"Don't worry, I can fix that for you," Isabel smiled.

"Really?" She asked with a smile.

"Yeah; I used to have long hair so I had practise. It'll be easy," Isabel explained. She nodded and turned around so that Isabel could easily do what she had to do. She played around with the girl's hair for a while before she had it in a braid that reached the top of her chest. "I'm all done. Now, let's get out there before Levi loses it." She nodded and followed Isabel out of the room.

"It's about time you came out. What were you doing in there? Taking a giant shit?" Her cheeks flared up at how blunt his words were and she hesitantly took a seat at the table.

"Levi, there's no need to make her feel uncomfortable," Farlan sighed at his friend's behaviour. Levi simply clicked his tongue and took a bite from the loaf in his hand. "How are you feeling?" Farlan asked the newest addition to their little group.

"I-I'm okay. My head still hurts a little bit but it's nothing," she explained with a small smile.

"That's good." He smiled back in return.

"Do you remember anything now Brat?" Levi asked. She shook her head and looked down.

"N-no, I can't remember a thing," her voice shook as she spoke, "I only remember the day you found me."

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Farlan said trying to comfort her. Though he didn't completely understand how she felt he felt something for her. He wasn't sure if it was pity, sympathy or something else but he felt something. He'd taken it upon himself to try and make her feel slightly welcome seeing as the other two weren't helping.

She looked up and saw a piece of bread being placed in front of her. "Hurry up and eat it," Levi ordered as he took his hand away from the loaf. She picked up the bread and took a bite. It took a while for her to get used to staleness. She forced it down and wiped the crumbs from my face.

"What are we going to do about a name?" Levi asked out of nowhere though it was no surprise he asked it. It had been on everyone's mind.

"I hadn't thought of that to be honest," she said trying to think of something.

"We have to think of something. We can't have Big Bro calling you Brat forever can we?" Isabel laughed. She chuckled lightly only to receive a glare from Levi which made her freeze in her place.

"How about we give you a name? Once one of us thinks of one we'll let you know and see if you like it," Farlan proposed.

"That sounds good to me. Thank you Farlan," she said with gratitude and a small smile. "I've finished eating."

"Let's go then," Levi said as he stood. The other three stood up and followed him into the furthest back room of the house. He stood in front of some metal boxes that she didn't recognise. "This is the maneuver gear that we use. If you can't use this you're going to just be dead weight. I don't intend on having another mouth to feed in this place for free. You can't learn this you're out." He face paled slightly at his words. If she couldn't do this she died; it was as simple as that.

Levi grabbed a pair of the boxes and some other pieces of equipment. He started adjusting them onto her hips and a faint blush appeared on my cheeks. When he'd finished adjusting everything he stepped back and studied the girl, making sure everything was as it should be. She could feel the extra weight from the metal containers which felt extremely foreign. It didn't seem too heavy but it isn't the most comfortable feeling for her. She pulled out the two controllers which Levi had put in the belts she'd put on that morning. "I'm going to say this once so you better be listening. We're going to go outside and teach you the basics. You're going to learn how to move from building to building slowly. You understand that Brat?"

"Y-yes," I stutter.

"You're going to need to stop doing that too. People will take advantage of you if you don't appear strong. They don't give a fuck if you're nice or not. A woman is a woman and that's all the men down here give a shit about." She mentally cringed at the thought of someone touching her in such a manner as did everyone else in the room. The three of them didn't know this girl well but they felt responsible for her well being and safety. Even so if she couldn't help them at all she was more of a burden than her worth.

"Sorry, I'll get that under control," she said as strongly as she could.

"Good; let's get this started. We can't have a useless brat around here for long." Isabel and Farlan slowly nodded and make their way outside the house. She took a step to follow them when she felt a grip on my wrist. She turned and froze when she saw Levi's stormy grey eyes staring straight into hers.

"Listen here Brat. I won't have you causing any trouble for me, Isabel or Farlan. You're here because Farlan and Isabel took pity on you and I trust Farlan's judgement. If I see one wrong move from you I won't hesitate to protect them," he said coldly. It would be a lie to say that the girl was surprised by his actions. She knew his emotionless mask was just a mask to make it seem like he had no weaknesses.

"Levi, I know we've known each other for a day but don't assume that I'd do shit like that. I owe you guys. You are the only people I know and causing you trouble is the last thing I want to do. Trust me." Her stare hardened at the man in front of her.

Levi definitely wasn't used to someone standing up to him let alone a 5'1 girl. He inwardly smirked. He was intrigued by her and where she came from but he wouldn't let her know that. He searched her eyes for any signs of lying. He had been suspicious of her since she woke up but during the time she had been around the others he had seen no threat from her. Her story of a girl not knowing anything still made him a little on edge around her.

"Don't make me regret it," he said sternly.

"I won't," she said as she pulled her wrist from his grip, "Let's go."

When the two made their way outside Isabel and Farlan were bickering over something that they had very little interest in. Levi simply wanted this training to start as did she.

The girl's mind ran wild. What if she couldn't do this? Would she really be sent to her death because of it? How could she do this with no knowledge of what she was doing?

"Now listen closely. If you can't remember this there's no hope for you," Levi put bluntly.

"Okay," she said confidently but it only came out as such to hide the rising nerves that were coursing through her being.

"It isn't that complicated so even a brat like you should be able to understand this. The trigger for your middle fingers is used to launch and retract the grapple for each side. Pressing both trigger fingers down uses the gas to give you more momentum. You got it?" His explanation was quite simple and without too much trouble the girl was able to grasp the concept of it. All she had to do was remember it. She nodded to him and he looked up towards a nearby building. "Watch." He launched his gear and swiftly flew up to where he had been looking at before.

She gaped in awe as she watched to which Isabel and Farlan smiled. They had both reacted similarly when they had seen it in action for the first time.

"It's amazing isn't it? Big Brother is the best at this around," Isabel boasted to the newcomer. It wasn't often someone hadn't heard of Levi and his strength so whenever she got the chance she liked to boast for him. The stubborn man didn't appreciate the gesture too much but much to his dismay she continued to do it.

"Isabel's right for once," Farlan smiled down at her.

"What do you mean for once? I'm always right!" Isabel pouted.

"Okay if you're always right then what's today's date?" he teased. Isabel froze in thought trying to think of an appropriate answer but to her annoyance nothing came. "Exactly; as I was saying it's a good thing we have the best. It can take years to master this but hopefully you can get the hang of it a bit quicker with him teaching you."

"Hopefully," she muttered, still looking up.

"Are you willing to give it a try? It's risky but if you do it then we know that we can skip a few stages," Levi explained to her. Her expression changed from one of awe to one of fear and panic.

"I-I guess so." She mentally slapped herself the moment she let that stutter leave her mouth. "I'll do it." Levi nodded down to let her know he heard and watched her movements carefully.

"It shouldn't be too hard for a shit like you." She furrowed her brows at his comment before grabbing the controllers from her belt. She hooked her fingers onto the triggers and took a step forward.

_All I have to do is launch the hooks upwards and use a little gas as well as retracting them to move forward_, she thought to herself. As she thought of those simple steps she gained a quick boost of confidence which she used to her advantage. Quickly she pressed the appropriate triggers and hooked the hooks into the building. She moved onto the second step and retracted the lines as well as pressing slightly on the gas. She wobbled quite a bit before she gained her balance and sailed smoothly though the air.

To her surprise she managed to land on the side of the building with only a slightly harder impact than what she was planning on. Most of the impact was absorbed through her bent knees but it did hurt her ankle slightly as well.

"Good job!" Isabel yelled out from below. She looked down and smiled at her. She could remember that short lived moment of flying and adrenaline was rushing through her veins making speech something she couldn't muster up.

"You didn't fuck up like I thought you would. It seems you're good at using your head," Levi commented still with a bored expression on his face. Underneath his facade he was slightly impressed that the girl before him had the common sense which was easily needed to use the gear. It took Isabel months before she could do things to the extent that this girl had just done.

The girl sighed in relief until she heard something she definitely didn't want to; a crack. She looked to where her hooks were in the wall and saw a large crack forming. She had no time to react as the hooks lost their grip and she started plummeting to the ground. She tried to think of something but she couldn't. She couldn't even scream. This was her first time ever using the gear so she had no instincts associated with it unlike someone who had been using it for years.

She braced for the impact but it never game. Instead she fell straight into a strong pair of arms. Looking up she was greeted with Farlan's warm eyes and a concerned expression.

"Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself?" he asked inspecting her for any wounds. She struggled to get any words out. Her breathing was ragged and her heart was beating far faster than normal.

"Bring her inside and get her some water," Levi instructed his comrade. Farlan nodded and brought the frightened girl into the house. He carefully placed her on a chair when she shook her head and snapped out of her trance.

"Thank you Farlan," she said with a sweet smile which made his heart swell up. There was something about this girl that seemed to have everyone wrapped around her finger. Even Levi who didn't care for anyone's wellbeing other than his own and his two friends actually gave a damn about this girl. She was just so innocent compared to the corrupt world that they lived in that it was like a ray of light in the deepest depths of the Earth.

When Farlan came out of his thoughts he immediately went to grab a glass of water. She accepted it gratefully and took a small sip.

"How are you feeling Brat?" Levi asked after a long silence.

"I'm okay; that fall just stole my breath for a moment," she explained as so took another sip.

"Good. You did fine today; you might be worth a shit to us after all." A small smile appeared on her face at his words. She was relieved not only at the fact that she had a place to stay but also the fact that she wouldn't be burdening her new friends.

"That's good to hear," she sighed.

"We have to give you a name," Farlan said casually, "I wanted to call out to you but it was a little hard to do." She chuckled lightly before looking at the three people in the room.

"Annabel." All heads turned to Levi who was still looking at her. She gave him a confused look. Out of all the people here she would never had guessed it would have been Levi to suggest a name for her let alone one that wasn't insulting. "I think it suites you. You don't have to fucking look at me like that." His glare turned cold the more she looked at him. She soon turned her attention to Isabel who was smiling madly.

"What do you think? I think Big Bro's right," Isabel asked in excitement. Why she was so excited was a mystery to the girl at the table; after all, the only thing that was going on was happening was simply picking a name to call her by.

She looked back at Levi and warmly smiled at him, "I really like it. Thank you Levi." Levi turned his head to look at the wall hoping that no one would notice the light pink blush that dusted his cheeks. He regained his composure and put back his usual stoic expression. He gave her a simple nod in response.

_Damn it all. Why does she have to look at me like that? _He thought. He inwardly rolled his eyes at the thought of showing any weakness. Never would he let that happen again.

"It's settled then," Farlan said. Everyone nodded and took a seat at the table. The table wasn't very big but it was large enough just to fit the four of them.

"You still need a lot of fucking training before you can help us with our 'work'," Levi explained with a exasperated sigh, "As much as you need it training every day would too big a strain on your body. Every second day should be enough." At that point he was just thinking aloud rather than explaining anything the Annabel. She simply nodded as he continued to talk. "Farlan will teach you about where we are and about the shit that's going on and I'll physically train you. With your strength as it is you're a liability."

"I'm fine with that. The better I am and the more I know means I can help you out more. That's all I want to do," Annabel looked around at the people who had saved her and smiled again. She rarely took it off her face which made Isabel and Farlan happy. Levi couldn't exactly care less with how she looked unless it was inappropriate. Whether she had a smile on her face or not was not on his list of priorities.

Levi looked her over closely looking for any sign that he shouldn't trust her but no matter how many times he looked and how much he wanted to find one he couldn't. He clicked his tongue and stood up to leave the room.

"I'll take your word on it."


	3. Chapter 3 - The Troubled Girl

Four months after Annabel appeared in the Underground not too much had changed. She continued to train with Levi and had finished learning about titans, the walls and other important things from Farlan. When he had told her about the titans she was frozen. She couldn't believe that something like that could exist, that humanity was on the brink of extinction. How could she forget something so incredibly important? Yes when Farlan had mentioned the disgusting monsters something stirred within her but she didn't know what it was and if she was aware of the titans before the incident. What incident that was she had no clue.

Her training was going slowly but steadily. She could now move from building to building with a lot less trouble than she had when she began. Her body was covered in marks and bruises from the collisions she had with her new best friend the wall.

Levi carefully watched her as she moved. Her body was still wobbly but in another month he doubted it would still be there. She had the smarts to know how to use the gear her body just had to catch up with it. He made a mental note to start working on her physical strength.

He was also impressed with how well she fit in with him and the others. Of course the group had been balanced before but now it worked perfectly. Beforehand Isabel had no one to really talk to about girl things and to complain to other than himself who wasn't keen on listening. She now went to Annabel with most things which was a well welcomed relief to him.

Annabel landed gracefully in front of him. She put her controllers back into the belts and flattened the wispy bits of hair that had come loose from her braid.

"What do you think Levi? Am I getting any better?" Levi looked into her warm green eyes with his cold grey ones.

"Tch, if you weren't then you wouldn't be here. We need to work on your strength. The way you are now if we were to be attacked you'd be the first to die to those shits. We'll stop for today."

"Okay Levi. Let's go see if Farlan has anything in store for dinner. I'm pretty hungry," she softly laughed. Levi just gave her another cold look. Despite how loyal she was and how much she was improving the short stubborn man was still on edge around her. He had no issues when it came to how she acted to Isabel and Farlan but her cheery nature didn't seem natural for anyone. She was hiding something and he knew it.

He nodded to her and followed her as she walked inside the run down house that they called their base. Just as she had hoped Farlan was putting bowls of soup as well as cups of tea down on the table.

"Thank you Farlan," she said with a smile. Farlan gave a faint smile in return.

"Don't mention it. How's training going?" he asked.

"It's going somewhere. I can move around more freely now," she explained as she took a sip of her soup. "Ow that's really hot," she muttered in pain. Levi clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes.

"No shit, what would you think it would be?" he grumbled before taking his bowl to the sink, "If it weren't it would be fucking disgusting. Annabel raised a brow at Levi and shook her head. Nothing they ate down there would be exactly classified as good. They're diet mostly consisted of stale bread and on rare occasions an okay soup like they were eating. They get whatever they are able to get which isn't very much.

From her arrival Isabel, Farlan and Levi had to work harder to get more food. They were struggling to survive as it was; now it was near impossible to get everything. Levi had confronted Farlan about sending her on her way a couple of times but Farlan wouldn't allow it. He told Levi that he should keep to his word and be a man of honour. Now that she wasn't absolutely helpless she had a slight chance but that chance was extremely thin. Levi eventually agreed to let her stay longer but he knew that she would have to start 'working' with them soon. Life in this place wasn't forgiving and they wouldn't be able to let her have a free ride.

Levi knew she had kept her word and wasn't slacking at all. He was actually surprised with how hard and how well she was training. Never would he have expected someone to get to the place she is now in such a short time. He expected that in a year's time she would be at the same level as those shits at the MP.

Though he was impressed by her skills it didn't make her any less suspicious to him. If anything it made him more curious as to where she came from. Did she really not remember or was she just hiding the truth from all of them? How could she familiarise herself so quickly with the gear? Was it luck or had she used it before? She seemed to be at least 20 so she could be a member of the military.

He shook the thought from his head. If she was in the military and went missing within the walls there would be posters of her around Wall Sina and on his last trip which was a few days ago there were none. It could mean she was undercover but that wouldn't explain why she couldn't use the gear when they first met. All the signs pointed to her story being true; she didn't remember a thing.

Looking out the small shattered window he excused himself and went to his bedroom where he just lied on his bed and continued to think of the countless possibilities that could be associated with Annabel. He had his reasons for choosing that name but it was reasons he didn't want to remember. Why he had suggested the name he didn't know and he slightly regretted doing so. It just felt right at the time he supposed.

He knew he couldn't dwell on the past though it constantly nagged him at the very back of his mind where he had locked away his emotions. Since she came he thought more and more of the past and it bothered him greatly.

"Levi?" Snapping from his thoughts Levi turned his attention to the man standing in the doorway.

"What is it Farlan?" he snapped. Farlan was used to his hostility so he didn't take it personally though it didn't mean he never felt intimidated by his short friend. Whenever he was acting out of character was probably when Farlan was most frightened by him. This was one of those times.

"I came to ask you the same thing. It isn't like you to space out like that in front of everyone. What are you thinking?" Farlan asked in concern. It wasn't usual to let down his guard even at the base.

"I want you to ask around about Annabel and see if anyone at all has seen her before." Farlan gave his friend a questioning look as Levi started into space. "If you find anything at all tell me. Even the unimportant shit, tell me."

"You still don't trust her do you?" Farlan questioned.

"Do you?" This time Levi looked Farlan straight in the eye with a dead serious expression. Farlan turned his head to avoid the heated gaze. It was true; Farlan couldn't put complete trust in the kind girl that he himself had taken in. He could see she was hiding something in her eyes. He didn't know if she was lying but she wasn't telling them something. This something was holding him back from trusting her completely.

"I'll head out now and see what I can find." Levi nodded as Farlan left the house. It was getting late so Farlan had at most two hours before he'd be in trouble of other gangs coming after him. Farlan knew that Levi had his reasons for everything he asked. He wasn't one to get people to do the dirty work for him if he could help him but no one would talk to Levi with his reputation as the most feared and skilled thug of the Underground.

Levi and Isabel eventually left too to get some extra supplies and a little cash to live on while Annabel was left to hold down the fort.

Annabel sat on Isabel's bed and twiddled her thumbs. She hummed a tune to keep her mind of the deafening silence. Since she had arrived she had gotten quite comfortable at her new 'home' but there was something missing that she couldn't quite figure out. What was she missing? No matter how much she thought and how much she searched she couldn't seem to find it. Little did she know it was simpler than she thought.

She decided that the people who had rescued her didn't need to know how she was feeling. In a place like this they didn't need to feel more depressed or stressed. What they needed was someone to cheer things up and she would be that person. She took it upon herself to make sure the others had something to be slightly cheerful about. She wasn't exactly lying to them she just wasn't showing the truth. She wasn't exactly depressed; she just felt empty.

When Levi, Isabel and Farlan came back they returned to an empty house. They quickly scanned the rooms but found no traces of Annabel.

"Where could she be?" Isabel whined in a child like voice. The others looked at her and shook their heads saying that they had just as much of an idea as she had. "We have to go look for her!" She took a step towards the backroom before someone gripped her wrist. "Big Bro, what is it?"

"Don't do anything. If she wants to leave then let her. It's less fucking work for us," he said in an extremely cold tone. Isabel couldn't believe what he was saying and attempted to escape his grasp but to no avail. Farlan on the other hand understood what Levi was doing and didn't bother to argue. Judging by how she was the past few months he assumed she had left from guilt. That would explain her actions but it didn't mean he agreed with it.

After some more cold words from Levi, Isabel escaped his grip and stormed to her room where faint cries could be heard. Farlan went to comfort her whilst Levi went to his own room and changed into his sleepwear; a loose baggy white top and black slacks. He neatly folded his clothes and placed them at the foot of his bed before getting in himself. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep but never did it come. He hated to admit it but he wanted to know where Annabel went. He had gotten used to her being around and he didn't appreciate people coming and going just like that.

Once he had decided to get up and grab some tea Isabel and Farlan had both gone to bed leaving him the only awake one in the house. Quietly he poured his mug of black tea and picked it up by the rip with his hand clawed over it. It was an unusual style of drinking but he once explained to Annabel that holding it by the handle meant you lost all the heat that came with it.

Annabel; where on Earth did she go? He didn't have the slightest idea until he heard something. He heard the roof creak. It had never done so with such a loud noise which could only mean one thing.

"That fucking brat," he muttered as he walked outside the building. Without hesitation he climbed up to hisusual spot on the roof that seemed to be occupied. "How long have you been up here?" Annabel jumped up from her laying position to face him.

"L-Levi! Crap don't do that," he growled. Levi was slightly caught off guard. He hadn't seen this mood from her since the time they had first met. Her harsh stare soon soften as she lied back down and looked up. "Sorry, I'm not in the best mood." After regaining his composure he went over to sit next to her.

"What are you doing here?" he calmly asked. Despite being an ass at the best of times he knew when someone was upset enough as it was.

"Thinking." She only said that one word which to Levi explained everything. He was incredibly good at putting puzzles together and compared to others this one was easy.

"About what?" Annabel looked at him before chuckling lightly to herself. "What's so funny?" he asked, his gaze becoming harder.

"What's funny? I don't know myself. I don't even know myself." She looked at Levi with tears stinging her eyes. "Goddammit," she muttered. Levi looked at her with his stoic mask; not a single bit of sympathy appeared on his face. He was confused and now getting frustrated. Why was she acting like a completely different person?

"You know Isabel and Farlan were worried you'd run off," he stated, "They wanted to look for you." He was no longer looking at Annabel and was looking off into the distance.

"What about you?" she asked, "did you give a shit?"

"It's not my business if you choose to leave or not. I doubt you'd survive but I wouldn't stop you. In this world you must make your own choices and hope you don't regret them in the end. I don't give a fuck what you choose as long as it doesn't put our lives in fucking danger." Levi's face didn't change at all when the words of truth left his mouth. Annabel nodded in understanding. "What is my business is that you've been hiding something however small. What is it you shit?"

"There's something missing. I don't understand it myself but a part of me just doesn't seem there and I can't figure it out," she confessed. After she realised what she had said she put her hands over her mouth. "I shouldn't have said anything. You don't need any more problems." Levi turned to look at her and clicked his tongue before speaking again.

"You really are a fucking moron," he sighed, "Of course you feel like you're missing something Brat; you're missing your whole life up until now. Did you expect to feel fucking fulfilled? If so you're more of an idiot than I took you for." She looked at him surprised at his words but realised the truth behind them. She should have known she would be feeling like this. "You've only been here for four months and all you've done is train since then. Not to mention you've been putting on this act or us. It must be tiring," he faded off and looked away from her again. "Tomorrow you'll start helping us get some things. It will take your mind away from all this."

"That sounds good to me," she said gratefully, "Thank you Levi."

"I'm not doing it for you Brat. If you get depressed you won't be able to do shit," he spat.

"Of course," she said with a smirk.

"Also stop with the overly cheerful act. We already have Isabel fucking around." Annabel laughed and he looked at her curiously. It was probably the first genuine laugh any of them had heard from the girl.

"That's true. I'm sorry for all the trouble Levi. I won't slack and I'll earn my keep; I swear this too you." Levi studied her closely. He didn't exactly have any cause not to trust her. In four full months she hadn't made a single suspicious move and he had made sure to watch her closely. Trusting for him was something that wasn't that was easy so he was having an internal battle with himself; kick her out or give her the benefit of the doubt?

"You better make sure I don't fucking regret this Brat." A smile played on the girl's lips as she wiped her tears away.

"I will Levi."

"Now get to bed. You'll be the one to explain where you disappeared to. Got it?" he commanded and Annabel nodded in response before making her way off of the roof. Tiptoeing into the house she silently and carefully made her way to Isabel and her room. She slipped under her blankets without a sound and peacefully drifted off to sleep.

Levi on the other hand sat down at the table with his black tea in his fingers; his insomnia not allowing him to sleep. His face as always showed a blank expression and his mind was the same. He was too weary to think any meaningful thoughts and he didn't have to think of wear Annabel was anymore. He took mindless sips of his tea until there was no more liquid in the porcelain cup. He sighed as he stood up to clean the mug before slowly walking towards his bed.

He lazily lied down on his bed and aimlessly stared at the ceiling. He had to think of something in order for Annabel to help while she was still training with the maneuver gear. The idea that came into his mind wasn't something that he thought was particularly smart and was going to be a huge risk to her.

Another muffled sigh left his lips as he tossed and turned in his bed. He hated his insomnia. Sometimes, on a good night, he could get around six hours sleep but on a night like tonight he was lucky to get one. He closed his eyes and laid still, trying to ignore the sounds of the troubled people outside.

After what seemed like hours but were indeed minutes he managed to fall into a restless slumber.


	4. Chapter 4 - The Distraction Girl (LINK)

Due to the nature of this chapter I cannot post it on this site due to it's descriptive/graphic physical nature and the general nature of the chapter. It contains scenes of sexual assault and for this reason it cannot be posted under 's guidelines. It is an important part of the story (for me at least) and future chapters do have reference to it.

This is the link for the chapter which has been posted on Wattpad. Keep in mind I am not trying to make you look me up on Wattpad or anything like that; I am just following the rules. Thank you for reading and understanding (if you do that is),

Angel

Link: 85246294-thorned-memories-levi-x-oc-chapter-four-the


	5. Chapter 5 - The Anniversary Girl

Time flies when you're having fun. A year had gone by since Annabel arrived in the underground and a certain friend was determined to do something for her. Isabel had no trouble convincing Farlan to join in but Levi was another story all together.

"Come on Levi! She's done so much for us and with what she's been through she deserves it!" Isabel exclaimed.

"Are you saying we haven't been through much?" Levi responds slightly annoyed. He knew what she was talking about but he couldn't be bothered with some stupid party that would only cause a mess.

"You won't have to do anything. We could get the cake and food and you could keep her distracted," she said with her usual grin.

"What makes you think I want to spend my time with that shitty brat?" he snapped.

"Now calm down Levi you'll wake her up," Farlan said calmly trying to control the situation. Annabel was in her room sleeping soundly. Isabel had woken up to go talk to her friends about her idea while they were still awake but Levi wasn't cooperating in the slightest. "She's helped us out a lot Levi and helped each of us out when they were planning something for the others so it is our turn to do it for her."

Levi glared at his friend as he explained. He knew it was true; for each of their birthdays she had gone out and gotten each of them a present. She had given Isabel a worn out stuffed teddy which she adored, Farlan a carving of a dog which made his day and she had found Levi a bracelet made of brown leather which was extremely rare. They didn't even have enough leather to make the uniforms of the military out of it. He didn't say a word to her as he took it. He gave her a nod which was enough for her. He never took it off his wrist.

"She's also gone through a lot since she got here. There was that incident..." Isabel trailed off. It had been eight months since the mission gone wrong and since then no one was able to touch her. Whenever someone did she'd go wash the place where she was until it was red and raw. She had gotten a lot better and if someone briefly touched her she would only flinch. If someone grabbed her she would go into a full on panic and start to scream. It was only recently she allowed the three of them to be in physical contact again.

"She's also been training her ass off. In the space of one year she's at the level of someone who's finished the military training program or even higher. There hasn't been a day she's stopped working so she deserves this. Surely you can see that." Levi cursed under his breath at his friends' words. He knew they were right but he was just too stubborn to admit that fact. He stood up from his seat at the table and started to walk towards the front door.

"Where are you going Big Bro?" Isabel asked with curiosity.

"Out; I'll be back in an hour," he explained in a bored tone.

"What about tomorrow?" She whined. Levi clicked his tongue before shaking his head.

"If I say yes will you shut your fucking mouth?" Isabel's eyes widened in shock and excitement.

"Yes I will! Thank you Levi!" she squealed. Farlan put his hand over her mouth to keep her quiet. "Oh yeah, whoops." Farlan let out a sigh at his younger friends actions. Thinking about age made him curious; how old was Annabel? She didn't look as old as Levi and himself but looked slightly more innocent than Isabel. She had a child like aura to her which made it hard to pinpoint her age. He frowned as he struggled out the puzzle but was interrupted by the cheery sound of Isabel's laughter. He snapped from his thoughts and smiled at his friend.

"We have to organise everything first. Why don't we start making a list now before it gets too late?" he suggested. Isabel jumped up and down and excitement.

"Yes!"

Annabel woke up that morning to realise something was different.

"Where's Isabel?" she mumbled sleepily. She focused her attention to her ears to try and hear anything outside the room but it was silent. "What's going on?" She stood from the floor and went over to change into her clothes and gear in case she needed to go looking for them. It was never quiet in the house during the mornings; Isabel was always yelling and causing problems.

After doing her in a rushed manner Annabel left the room to the dining table. She was surprised that someone was in fact there but just happened to be extremely quiet.

"Levi?" The short man looked up from the table and straight at the girl before him. Even though it had been exactly one year since she had been taken in he wasn't quite used to seeing her walk from that room.

"What is it Brat?" he said with a glare. His hair hadn't been done and was a bit of a mess and he unlike her wasn't dressed in his gear yet.

Levi had never called Annabel by the name he himself gave her; he always called her Brat unless in serious situations where the name wasn't appropriate. Farlan and Isabel wondered why but they let it go. They both knew that he had a tough time before they met him so they knew questioning his actions would get them nowhere other than causing him to be angered. It was a mystery.

"Where are Isabel and Farlan?" she asked as she let out a yawn. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes as she walked towards the kitchen.

"They went out to get supplies," he explained bluntly. Annabel tilted her head in confusion.

"_Why would they do that? We went out and got some things yesterday," _she wondered. She didn't question it aloud though as she knew she would only get a half assed response from him. "Will we be doing more training then Levi? We don't have much else to do." Since their talk all those months ago the only person she had been her true self with was Levi. She didn't bother trying to cheer him up because she knew it would just annoy him further.

"No, today you and I will simply be discussing things. You've been here a full year now. What do you intend to do now?" he asks as he takes a sip from his tea. Annabel looks at him as she prepares hers.

"I know enough about this world to survive now. You've trained me and Farlan taught me. If you believe I'm a burden then I'll leave and won't bother you again. As I said causing you all trouble is the last thing I want to do to the three of you. I did promise Isabel I would stay as long as Isabel wanted me around though so I will keep that in mind. Your call Levi; am I of any use?" She took her tea and took the seat next to Levi and looked him in the eye. He met her gaze with a hint of interest.

"You've been more use than a burden. I have no issue with you staying here as long as you don't slack off and become a little shit," he explained. A small smile played on Annabel's lips.

"I wasn't planning on it. I like it here and you've given me a home. Why would I slack off when you've done so much for me?" As with most of her question Levi nods and says nothing more. The two of them finish their tea in silence. "I see you're still wearing the bracelet," Annabel comments. Levi looks down at his wrist that was decorated by the simple strap.

"It would be wasteful not it. Leather is so fucking rare now that it's a miracle this exists." Annabel laughed. She knew this was Levi's way of saying that he liked it.

"Don't tell me this is what we'll be doing all day," Annabel said after another moment's silence. Levi shook his head and looked out the window.

"What's the time?" he asked. Annabel turned to look at the broken analogue clock on the counter.

"It's around midday," she answered, "Wait a second. Why aren't you cleaned up at this time? You're usually the first one ready."

"Isabel is the one who wakes me up. With no reason to get up I slept in. Is that a problem?" he asked annoyed by the question. He wasn't exactly awake yet so his mood wasn't the best.

"Not at all; it's just unusual that's all," she said defensively. He clicked his tongue before washing his mug and going to get changed. Annabel got up and grabbed a piece of bread from the stash to eat since she didn't have breakfast. Never had she gotten used to the staleness of the bread.

"Had I had stale bread before?" she asked aloud. During her year she hadn't remembered a thing of her previous life. All she had was her dolphin pendant. She didn't remember how she got it or what the creature was; she only remembered the name of the animal. "Who was I?"

Annabel no longer let it get to her that she didn't know anything. She thought of this as a new chance. It was possible that her life before this was worse and that maybe she didn't even have a family. There was no way to really know.

She had noticed some things about herself which she couldn't explain. Once every couple of weeks she'd notice a new scar. The most obvious was the one she first found that was usually covered by her shirt but she'd found them on her legs and stomach as well. Where they come from she didn't have the slightest idea. It didn't matter to her though; the past was in the past. Even though it didn't bother her too much that she didn't remember a thing she was still curious as to whom she was, good or bad.

Her thoughts were interrupted with Levi coming back into the room. She looked over at the clocked and her eyes widened when she realised she'd been thinking for a good twenty minutes.

"Are you ready to go out?" He asked as he tightened the last of his belts.

"I thought we weren't training today," Annabel said confused.

"I never said anything about training Brat. I want to show you something." Nerves started going wild in Annabel's system. What would he want to show her? He kept most of his secrets to himself so what could it be? "What is it? Do you need to take a shit or something?" A pink tint arose on her cheeks.

"No I don't. Where are we going?" she asked with curiosity.

"You'll find out when you get there," he said simply and she didn't question him further. She sighed in defeat and nodded before following him out of the house. He launched his gear and sped off. He didn't bother looking back and checking on her as he once did. Over the year she's managed to become as fast as him. She was nowhere near as accurate and sometimes still rammed into walls but her speed was incredible for someone with so little use of the device.

Annabel had been training nearly every day in order to become of more use to her friends. Her body was extremely worn down by the tough routine but it had become accustomed to it. Levi was slightly concerned over her strenuous routine. He didn't care so much for her wellbeing but for her use; that's what he convinced himself anyway. If she ended up wearing herself down then she would no longer be able to help out and become a burden once more.

Levi was not used to creating bonds with others; not used to trusting others. It took both Isabel and Farlan at least two years to completely gain his trust. After three years he even considered them close enough to be friends.

Annabel was different. The way she acted and spoke showed him that she was not lying and had no reasons to hide anything from them. It took only this one year to become completely trusted by him and he almost considered her a friend. He was able to relate to her and they bonded more than he cared to admit. He didn't understand it at all; it was a feeling he couldn't explain. He felt the need to look after her. She was smaller and weaker than even Isabel and it would take years of training to change that. He cared for her and he didn't understand why.

He came out of his thoughts as soon as his eyes caught glimpse of his destination. A relaxed feeling washed over him as he landed in front of the most peaceful place of the underground. He looked up at the clear blue sky and the grassy moss that covered the edge of the opening.

Annabel's mouthed open agape at the sight. She had never seen the sky or the grass. She had never experienced a breeze on her face that was able to blow the loose strands of hair behind her. A large smile grew on her face as she spun and jumped around. This is what freedom looked like; this was her first glimpse of being free and she loved it.

"This is amazing," she said barely above a whisper. A small smile appeared on Levi's lips just small enough for the distracted beauty before him not to notice. He had never seen such a reaction to this. Farlan and Isabel both knew about this place so he never thought someone could be so ecstatic over such a simple thing.

"This is where I go to clear my mind," Levi explained to her, "since you like to think a lot I thought this place might help when you need to get away again." Annabel's attention turned back to Levi; a look of surprise painted her face. It was quickly replaced by a grateful expression.

"Thank you Levi," she said with a genuine smile. Levi's heartbeat picked up.

"Tch," he muttered as he looked up again. Two pure white birds flew over head which made Annabel laugh with joy. "Do you remember anything like a birthday yet Brat?" he said as soon as his heart calmed down. Her happy mood quickly darkened.

"I don't remember anything. I've been trying but all I get is a headache," she sadly explained. She looked back up at Levi and put on a smile, "I don't mind though. You've given me new memories and a new life so I'll be forever grateful."

"Consider it today then." Once again Annabel looked at him surprise. "What is it? It makes the most sense doesn't it? It's been a year since your life with us so why not?" He said nonchalantly. Annabel had noticed how Levi acted different around her but she never understood why.

"What's the date today?" she asked him with another cheerful smile. Levi knew that this smile wasn't an act; this one was genuine and it was something he very much enjoyed the sight of.

"March 18th." She walked up close to Levi and looked up. He returned the action by looking down at her and meeting her gaze. He always managed to get caught up in her eyes. They were as eye catching as the grass above them, as rare as a gem in this broken down world.

Annabel did something unexpected. She lifted up her hand and flicked him between the eyes.

"What's going on with you Levi? You aren't getting soft are you?" she laughed. It took a lot of will power to hold back a laugh of his own. She was right; he was getting soft when it came to her. If he was his normal self he would have refused to do anything for her even if it was the anniversary of her entrance into their lives. He wouldn't have shown her this spot and he would have kicked her out after a while. He was captured and under her spell she had no idea she was even casting.

"Oh cause not you fucking idiot," he snapped with his signature glare. She chuckled at her response.

"Don't worry, I won't tell the others. Thank you for everything Levi," she said as she turned around to look at the sky once more. "Will we get to go up there one day?" she asked.

"We'll take you up there one day when you can take care of yourself," he said coldly.

"Are you saying I'm weak?" she said with a cold eye looking back at him, the other faced forward. Levi's usual seriousness came back at the question.

"Yes that's exactly what I'm saying. You aren't strong enough to fight anyone off yet. You've nearly perfected the use of your gear but strength wise you're nothing." Annabel looked at him completely as he gave her the harshest glare she had ever received.

"Well then what do you suggest Levi? You're the expert after all," she said sarcastically. Levi rolled his eyes are her attitude.

"It's a simple fact of more training but not the kind you've been doing. You need to learn hand to hand combat," he explained to her.

"You want me to learn how to fight?" she gasped. She had never thought of fighting before and she didn't want to. Causing people harm is not what she wanted to do. All she ever wanted to do was help. She continued to fall into deep thought. She thought back to the incident eight months ago where she couldn't even save herself. How was she supposed to save others if she couldn't do that simple thing?

"Are you even listening to me Brat?" Annabel looked back up at Levi and shook her head.

"No I wasn't sorry. I was thinking about what you just said; you're right. If I can't protect myself then how am I going to help others out? I'll get stronger and one day we'll get outside and I'll see the sky," she said with an optimistic smile. Levi couldn't help but smile down at her which caused her smile to grow.

"The others should be back now. Let's get going," he said as he grabbed out the controllers for the gear.

"Sure; I'll meet you there," she said with a grin. She pulled out the controllers and head off leaving Levi in her wake. Levi rolled his eyes at her childish words and head off behind her. He caught up to her but stayed behind so she had something to cheer about. He enjoyed seeing her smile so why wouldn't he?

When Annabel landed at the door she waited for Levi before walking in.

"Surprise!" Farlan and Isabel cheered as they stood behind a sponge cake on the table. Annabel looked at them shocked before looking back at Levi.

"This is why you took me out?" she said still in shock. He looked away before nodding. "You did this for me?"

"Of course we did!" Isabel said with an excited expression, "You deserve it."

Annabel ran up to Isabel and Farlan before pulling them into a hug, "Thank you so much guys," she said. Tears of joy pricked her eyes and quickly ran down her cheeks. "You have no idea how much this means to me." She let go of the two and turned to Levi, "Thank you too Levi, for everything."

"Tch," was all he said before taking walking to his room. Annabel shook her head before taking a seat at the table.

"It looks amazing," she said as she admired the masterpiece before her.

"It's a vanilla sponge. We'd saved enough coins to buy one," Farlan explained to her. Annabel took a slice and placed it on one of the set up plates. She took a fork and picked up a piece before placing it in her mouth.

"This is delicious!" she exclaimed. The other two grabbed a slice and placed them on their plates. They looked up when Levi came into the room but Annabel noticed something; he came from her room. She didn't question it as she heard to words of excitement from the other two who were enjoying the cake. Levi took his piece and ate it in silence.

For the remainder of the day Annabel, Isabel and Farlan joked around about some of the fun things that had happened during the year. A lot of interesting and unusual occurrences had come to past during her time with them which Annabel was grateful for.

"We also managed to find this while we were out!" Isabel said as she picked something up from the ground. Annabel couldn't recognise what it was no matter how much she looked at the black box.

"How the fuck did you find a camera down here? They're rare enough above ground," Levi questioned from his position against the wall. When Annabel heard the word realisation hit her.

"It was on the ground," Farlan explained, "It's hard to say where it came from but no one was looking for it. It has a few pieces of film in it as well." Levi nodded, satisfied with the explanation.

"Let's take a photo!" Isabel squealed, "I've never had one before." Farlan took hold of the contraption and set it up. He decided to set it up in front of Levi who he knew wouldn't be bothered moving out of the way. Levi just clicked his tongue at this and continued to watch.

"Are we all ready?" Farlan asked. Farlan set the timer on the camera and went to stand beside Levi. Isabel draped her arm around Annabel's shoulders and put on a cheesy grin. Annabel put a sweet smile on her face and Farlan put a small smile on. Levi kept his glare and just looked up at the camera.

The flash went off and every got out of their positions. It was starting to get late and Annabel decided to get to bed early. She had had an amazing day but she was utterly exhausted. She said her goodnights and walked to her room. She changed into her pyjamas and pulled out her braid. After folding all of her clothes she walked towards her blankets on the floor. As she looked down to pull back the sheets she noticed something. A leather bound book and a pencil were gently placed there.

She thought to who could have done this and came to one conclusion. She smiled as she thought of Levi's sneakiness and thoughtfulness. She wore that smile until her consciousness left her being.


	6. Chapter 6 - The Cared For Girl

Annabel brushed herself off as she got off the ground. She took heavy breaths as she laid eyes on her target: Levi. For the past three months she and Levi had been working on her combat skills and her strength nearly every possible hour. She had improved from being a completely helpless girl to someone who could fight off someone her size.

Levi had put a lot of effort into her training. As per usual he never went easy on her and made it clear what he was expected to do. For the first month he worked on building up her strength and endurance. Laps around the city, multiple types of resistance training and mother other methods to train and help her become stronger.

It was odd for Farlan and Isabel to see the most innocent one of the house learn something violent even if it was for her own protection. Despite learning how to protect herself she was still had her innocence about her. She was a very interesting person to all three of her friends.

Annabel looked ahead and charged forward; determination filled her pure green eyes. She held one fist out for attack and held one in for defence as Levi had taught her. Levi stood his ground as she approached and kept his focus on her moves. She was far more balanced than when she first started. Her moves had become sharper and she was now thinking about her actions.

She used her newfound speed and attempted to throw Levi off guard by changing her direction of movement. Levi raised an eyebrow at her new technique but again managed to easily throw her to the ground. She groaned at the impact but just like every other time and prepared herself again.

"You're getting better," Levi commented. Out of breath, Annabel simply nodded her head. "Your stance is getting stronger and you're making better decisions."

"W-why aren't I-I g-getting clo-ser?" Annabel asked in between heavy breaths. Her usual cheery persona was gone and replaced by a determined and frustrated one. Levi, as she asked, brushed out the creases in his sleeves.

"It won't happen like fucking magic. It takes a lot of freaking practise to learn all this shit," he explained. She nodded and took a deep breath. "You're making progress and for now that's all that matters for now. Let's go again."

Annabel again set up her stance when Levi noticed one fault in it. "You're footing's wrong." Annabel looked down and frowned as she searched for the problem. Levi sighed as he walked over to her. "Have your back foot slightly further back and be on the balls of your feet. It gives you a lot more speed." Annabel did as instructed and got ready to charge forward once again.

This time Levi knew to brace himself. When it came to speed she was naturally faster than him and telling her how to gain further speed gave her the upper hand. Also, her eyes now not only held determination but a flame his once held when he was being trained.

She pushed off and as Levi had anticipated she was almost flying. Analysing her moods Levi placed his stance appropriately but something was different she did dodge like last time but the thought never crossed his mind that she would change her direction once again. She must have picked it up when watching him and Farlan fight for her to learn different techniques she could later apply.

As she landed a punch to his side Annabel jumped backwards and smiled. "I got you," she cheered as she caught back her breath. Levi quickly recovered from the hit and stood upright once more.

"Hmph, you got me because of your speed but there was little strength behind the hit," Levi stated which shattered Annabel's spirit. "You're getting there. Remember you're not someone special who can magically master shit like this."

"I know. I'll keep practising so I can fight," she said as she put her usual smile back on her face; the smile that always made Levi weak at the knees. He never got over that of weakness as he had sworn to himself he would. He'd tried to think logically about it but nothing about his actions and emotions were logical in the slightest.

This routine continued for another three months. Every week Annabel's speed managed to somehow increase though her amount of strength barely rose. She managed to hit Levi a few more times and was becoming more thoughtful with each attempted strike. Just as Levi expected he never did beat her but she always put up one hell of a fight.

The two had just finished another session of combat and were walking back when Annabel brought up the question, "Do you think we'd be able to go above ground now?" Levi looked her over and sighed. She had been working hard for the past half year for this one chance. If they didn't go above now who knew what could happen.

"Tomorrow is your day off. I will take you up then," he explained to her. A grateful smile appeared on her face as excitement grew within her. She didn't say a word and simply nodded at Levi's answer. The two walked towards the house where dinner was waiting for them. It was Annabel's favourite hot pumpkin soup which was a rarity for the group. Annabel's smile only grew when she sighted the food and eagerly took her seat at the table. Levi took his seat next to her.

"While you two go and get supplies Annabel and I will be going above ground to see what's been going on lately. I trust you two to get all we need," Levi told the two across the table from him.

"You're taking her above ground?" Farlan asked curiously. He eyed his friend cautiously wondering what he was thinking.

"I can't exactly stop her can I? If she went by herself we know she'd never come back and you two already planned to go out." Levi glared at Farlan once he noticed him studying him. He knew that they would be having a chat later and he wasn't looking forward to it.

"You're going to love it!" Isabel yelled with a wide grin. She herself had been above ground once before and she never forgot the feeling of sunlight on her skin for the first time. Going above ground was expensive and a rarity. Isabel had managed to sneak above one morning while the guards of the stairwell were pissed drunk. How she wasn't caught she had no idea. It was a real stroke of luck for her.

A smile appeared on Annabel's face that she found hard to remove. She hadn't seen the light of day for a year and a half or possibly longer; she didn't know. At the thought question entered her mind; was she from the Underground or from the surface? Surely if she was from the Underground people would have recognised her easily. If she was from above ground the how did she end up where she is? Either way it didn't make much sense to her.

"I'm looking forward to it," she quietly said. She didn't want to completely cheer otherwise she knew that Levi would probably become annoyed. She was also pretty tired and couldn't be bothered expending anymore energy. "I'm going to go to bed now. Goodnight everyone," she said with a gentle wave. Farlan and Isabel said goodnight while Levi said nothing at all.

Isabel soon after went to get some sleep leaving Farlan alone in the room. The two stayed silent and stared into each other's eyes. Levi's continued to grow annoyed with the lack of conversation when he knew quite well that Farlan had something he wanted to say.

"If you have something to say then say it," Levi eventually snapped. His glare grew cold before he looked away, sick of the little staring concert between the two.

"You know exactly what I'm going to say. The question is whether or not you're willing to admit it," Farlan said with a slight smirk. Despite him not knowing completely what was going on it was amusing for him to watch his friend's confusion.

"I have no idea what the fuck you're on about. It sounds like you're just talking shit," Levi grumbled. He was extremely annoyed now for no real reason. He didn't appreciate the interrogation in the slightest and was ready to leave if he heard one more piece of crap.

"Surely you've noticed the change in yourself when you're around her. You care about her," Farlan said cautiously.

"She came with no knowledge of anything. If I didn't keep an eye on her she would have ended up dead," Levi angrily explained. He knew what Farlan was implying but he wouldn't have any of it.

"When she first got here you were only interested in training her and having her help us with our jobs. It seems completely different now. You're a lot softer now. I mean you're taking her to the surface tomorrow. You know how expensive that is?" Levi growled irritably.

"She got the money herself. I had nothing to do with it. Do you know where she's been going at night? She's been doing jobs on her own to try and get us more money. The brat deserves to go," he defended. What he said was true; every couple of weeks Annabel would get a job of her own with a high pay which she managed to find and do herself. When Levi found out about this he tried to stop her but she begged him to let her go.

Levi was hesitant and ended up following her throughout the mission. What he saw surprised him completely; she didn't have one problem. She easily got the needed supplies with a great deal of stealth. When she did get into a fight she took everything he had taught her and easily took out each obstacle in her path.

When Farlan heard this he raised an eyebrow. How hadn't he noticed her going in and out of the house at night? Levi probably found out because of his insomnia. She must have been rather sneaky to not wake anyone. Farlan shook his head and got back to the conversation.

"You can deny it all you want Levi but you know she's different," he sighed, "I'm going to bed. Be careful tomorrow."

"Hmph," Levi responded. As Farlan left the room he took a seat at the table and began to think, _"Is she really affecting me?" _

It was a normal night until two in the morning. Annabel woke up with a start after having the most vivid nightmare that she could remember. Sweat drenched her body and her breathing was heavy and uneven. Though she was aware the nightmare was vivid and horrifying she had no recollection of what it was actually about. All she remembered was that it felt completely and utterly real.

She quietly got untangled from her blankets and walk out to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. She sculled it down quickly and wiped her face clean from any of the liquid. She let out a heavy sigh as the cold bit at her skin.

"Annabel; what are you doing?" Startled Annabel bolts around and grips her heart with her hand.

"Farlan, you scared me," she said with a quiet laugh. Farlan let out a laugh of his own before walking closer to the girl.

"Sorry about that," he said as he ruffled her bed head making it worse than it already was, "What are you doing? It's really early."

"It was just a nightmare. I'm sorry if I woke you up." She gave an apologetic smile to the older man who gave a small smile in return.

"No I just couldn't sleep," Farlan explained to her. It was the truth. Thousands of thoughts kept his mind active and unable to sleep soundly. His discussion with Levi left him with more questions than answers. When will Levi come to his senses? He wasn't usually this illogical and didn't lie to himself. It was possibly because of the past which was a somewhat mystery even to Farlan. Maybe it was because of the harsh and cruel world he lived in. Many possibilities flooded through his mind but none of them really fit.

He shook his head and turned back to Annabel who looked worried. "Would you like to talk about it Anna?" he asked.

"To be honest I don't remember it. I just remember being scared; I was terrified. Whatever it was felt so real..." Annabel trailed off as she tried to recall anything from her dream, "I remember the name Jacob but I don't know who he is." A hopeful smile spread across Farlan's face.

"Do you know what this could mean?" he said excitedly. Annabel tilted her head in confusion. "Your memories Annabel; that could have been one of your memories!" She looked at him in shock. Was she really remembering? Who was Jacob? What could have made her so afraid? Did she want to remember? Whimpers weakly left her lips as she started to shake. "Annabel are you okay?" She couldn't respond. Why couldn't she remember that dream or memory? "Annabel!" She jerked at the sound of her name and looked up. She hadn't noticed that Farlan had pulled her into an embrace and was holding her incredibly close. She hadn't noticed the tears now streaming down her cheeks and staining Farlan's clothes. She hadn't noticed how helpless she felt.

"W-what will happen if I do remember Farlan? What happens when I remember who I am?" Farlan was puzzled by her question.

"I suppose you'd be able to go back to your home if you had one and go to your family," he pondered.

"I don't want to go though. You're my family now and I don't want to leave you now," she said barely above a whisper. Farlan raised an eyebrow at her.

"But you could possibly live above ground and live a happy life. Why would you want to stay?"

"After all I have seen and all I have been through with you leaving isn't an option for me. You gave me this new life and I won't leave it," she said determined. Farlan let her go and ruffled her hair once more. "Go get some sleep. You've got a big day ahead," he smiled.

"Okay I will. You should try and sleep as well. Goodnight."

"You ready Brat?" Levi mumbled as he waited at the front door. Annabel was racing around making sure she had everything she needed for the day. Once she was sure of herself she went and met Levi.

"I'm all good to go," she smiled sweetly. Levi turned to open the door but also to hide the faint tinge of pink that graced his cheeks. The two walked in silence until they reached the staircase. They each got out the fee that was required and gave them to the guards. As soon as they were cleared they began their accent up the stairs.

The higher up they got the more sunlight became visible and the more Annabel's excitement grew. She was finally going to be above ground; she was going to feel the sun on her skin. For the first time she was finally going to feel free.

Levi observed the reaction of the young girl in front of him. Every time she got a taste of freedom her innocent beauty grew. It was something that only the human eye could observe and comprehend and he was satisfied that that pleasure went only to him.

When the two finally reached the top Annabel lets out a gasp of amazement. The streets were filled with people dressed in beautiful clothes; clothes far more expensive then the group could afford. They looked at the two who were both wearing simple clothes consisting of shirts and pants.

The people were also staring because of how noble the girl looked compared to the thug man beside her. If she wore a beautiful dress much alike what they were she would easily fit in with the crowd. Since she didn't have that social status her appearance didn't seem to fit her circumstances.

Levi noticed the strange looks they were getting but Annabel seemed oblivious to the stares. Her long hair was freed from her normal braid and now spun around her as she turned. She took in the sights of the well kept buildings and the stores that decorated the streets.

"Let's get a move on," Levi said as he grabbed her wrist. He dragged her along until they reached the clearing he had wanted to show her. It was empty as usual as no one bothered to go there. Levi wasn't the fondest as the place either mostly because there was a large amount of dirt but he knew she would love it.

As the two walked through the grass Annabel plucked a blade of it. She'd never seen anything like it and was fascinated by the simple piece of nature. As they walked Annabel noticed the flowers that were scattered around. Her eyes were wide open and it was as if the smile could never be removed from her face. She looked up to see a flock of birds flying past and jumped up and down.

"Are you coming Brat?" Annabel turned around to see Levi standing at the base of a large tree. He clicked his tongue as he became impatient.

"Sorry," she said with a laugh. She run over to where he was and looked up, "Wow." Levi didn't say anything as he started climbing the tree and settled himself on a sturdy branch. Annabel followed his lead and took her spot next to him. Her mouth opened in awe at the view. You could clearly see all the buildings of the city as well as the wall that protected them.

"That's Wall Sina right?" she asked as she turned to look at him. He nodded in response and she mentally cheered that she remembered. "That's the city of Stohess." Levi nodded once again. "It's so beautiful," she muttered to herself. She pulled her satchel onto her lap and pulled out her favourite book and pencil. Quietly she began to sketch the view.

"What are you doing?" Levi asked with curiosity.

I'm drawing the city. I doubt I'll be able to come up very often so I want to preserve the memory," she explained with her head down. "It's what I do with this gift of yours," she said with a sly smile. Levi raised an eyebrow. How did she know? He hadn't left a note or anything like that to say it was him. "You're not as subtle as you think you are. I saw you leave my room and you're the only one that would have gotten me something like this. Thank you." Levi didn't say a word and just looked forward.

The two sat in a comfortable silence until Annabel finished with her sketch. Once she finished she admired her work and let out a chuckle of satisfaction.

"It's good," Levi complimented. It was a good drawing indeed. You could immediately tell that it was a drawing of Stohess and had great detail to it.

"Thank you Levi. Also, thank you for taking me out today. I've enjoyed it." The innocent smile that graced her face made Levi's heart melt.

"Don't mention it Brat," he said as he ruffled her hair, "Just be glad we didn't get caught by the military police."

"Let's get going. I did what I wanted to do and I got to enjoy your company."

"Tch, I don't know what the fuck your on about. I didn't do a thing."

"You were here and that's all I can ask of you," she mumbled embarrassed. Her cheeks were turning a deep shade of pink which didn't go unnoticed by the observant Levi. He internally laughed before leaping out of the tree. Annabel carefully climbed down the trunk of the tree but near the base lost her grip and began falling. She gasped as she felt herself free fall. She expected to fall to the hard ground but instead found herself in a pair of strong protective arms.

"You can't do a fucking thing by yourself can you?" he muttered. He gently placed her back on her feet. "Let's get going." The two began to walk back to the stairs but took the long route through the city to enjoy what little time they had left.

"Do you want to come up and live here one day?" Annabel asked suddenly. Levi looked at her confused.

"When did you hear that?" he asked back. There was no point in denying it because it was indeed the truth. He had been in the slums of the underground for far too long and needed to escape the hell hole. That's why he had been taking so many jobs and why he had been careful with how much the group spent.

"About a month ago I heard you when I came back from a job," she replied.

"Do you want to?" he asked her. He did want to hear her opinion on the matter.

"Not really I like our house and I'm happy where we are. We are restricted but it's nice," she smiled sadly, "If you do decide to leave I will happily come with you if you want me to." Levi didn't respond and took her answer in. She did have a point and from her point of view it was understandable. She had just begun to call their little house home after losing everything.

Silently the two walked down the stairs but not without someone noticing. A tall man with blonde hair and piercing ice blue eyes watched the two thugs make their decent back to the underground waiting for his chance to strike.


	7. Chapter 7 - The Hurt Girl

"We've got everything we need now," Levi called out, "Let's head back."

"Got it," the other three responded. The group of thugs flew from their pursuers with ease after completing the day's mission. Levi and Annabel lead the group as they were the fastest and most skilled with the maneuvor gear. Over the past two years Annabel had become a key part of the team. When they had first brought the girl into their little team they never would have thought she would have a knack for surviving the underground world. Not only was she surviving but she was helping Farlan, Isabel and Levi to thrive with the amount of work they were doing. Her innocent face and personality had people easily trusting her.

None of her friends were keen on putting her in dangerous situations as constantly as they did but Annabel didn't mind in the slightest. She was happy she could help the group as much as she was. Even though she was aware that what she was doing wasn't morally right she knew that not paying off her debt would be worse.

"That was a close one," Annabel commented as they landed out the front of their base.

"It sure was. They put up a good fight but they couldn't lay a hand on you," Isabel laughed, "You're a natural Anna."

"Thank you," Annabel said as she walked in. She grabbed a glass of water and took a seat at the table. "How much are we getting for that one?"

"Enough," Levi muttered.

"Do you think we'll have enough to get citizenship soon?" Isabel grinned in hope. No one responded. They had no idea how much money it would take to get citizenship to the surface other than a lot. The people above were greedy and never took into consideration the people less fortunate than them. They were always hungry for power and if it meant shoving more people where the sunlight can rarely be seen then so be it. The world was a cruel place.

Levi took a seat at the table and began to clean the blood from his knife just like after each mission he used it. "This place needs a clean," he mumbled to himself. No one dared to argue with him and got up to clean every bit of dust out of the small house. When Annabel found out about Levi's cleaning habits she made to keep her room accordingly. Her cleaning skills weren't the best and it took her longer to get everything done but she didn't have to be told to do it over and over again.

As they were cleaning Annabel thought back to the events of the previous day. Someone came by the house with an offer and some interesting information. A messenger from Nichols Lobov was a well known name in the underground. He was the one who put guards on the stairway to the exit and controlled the world of the underground. To have someone come around on his behalf other than to beat some sense into a certain person was extremely rare.

The group was told that the scouting regiment was looking into them and were interested in recruiting them. Levi had raised an eyebrow when he was told this as he along with everyone else was sceptical. Annabel was frightened. The scouts went outside the wall and faced the titans head on. The thought of titans scared the crap out of her. She couldn't imagine what they possibly looked like or how they behaved. She couldn't understand how creatures could crave one source of food just to throw it back up again.

The job Lobov wanted the group to do was to go into the scouting regiment and find some documents that the branch had on him that could possibly be used against him. He used two forms of bribery: hostage and an offer they would struggle to refuse. They took one of Farlan's friends to a hospital for treatment on an injured leg but were also holding him there until they left. They were also offered citizenship above ground.

Annabel felt conflicted about the whole ordeal. She wanted to live above ground but she felt at home in the Underground. She had gotten used to the charms of the place despite the dangers that it held. It was life on the edge and she enjoyed the rush that it gave her. Though she loved the place now, she couldn't leave her friends if they were to go above to the surface. She promised she would stay with them until they didn't want her around anymore.

"Hey Brat, you've been cleaning that same spot for five minutes," Levi snapped. Annabel came out of her thoughts back to reality.

"I'm sorry," she chuckled. The three of them gave her a weird look and stared.

"What were you thinking about?" Farlan inquired, "You completely spaced out there." Annabel shook her head.

"Nothing important," she said dismissing the subject, "What are we having for dinner?" She moved away from the counter she was wiping down and checked for any signs of dust on it. She was satisfied with her work and sat on the couch the group had recently acquired.

"We just have some bread for tonight and don't lie to us. What were you thinking about?" Levi stood up and walked in front of her. It wasn't that he distrusted her anymore; she had plenty of time in the past two years to do something like that plus she was too helpless when they met that she couldn't have possibly been trained beforehand. He just wanted to know what was bothering her.

"I was just thinking about what happened last night that's all." Levi's mind went back to the conversation they had when they went above ground. He knew that she wasn't keen on the idea but it was what they had been working towards for years. He had said to do nothing until the job really begins which was a smart idea. He didn't want Annabel to become uncomfortable when they left but would they end up living in the same house or would they separate? What would become of their little group? They hadn't thought about those details; all they had thought about was becoming free.

"Don't worry about it Annabel. Whatever happens we'll stick together," Isabel said confidently, "Isn't that right Big Bro?" Everyone turned to look at Levi who turned to look out the window.

"It doesn't matter. If the job happens it happens." Everyone accepted Levi's response. They knew they needed to be patient with this matter.

Afterwards it was a rather quiet night. No one came asking for jobs and they weren't interrupted by any of the thieves in the area. They simply ate their meal and organised the current jobs they had taken on. Afterwards one by one they went to bed. Annabel was the second one behind Farlan to hit the hay that night. She knew it would take a while to drift off and she knew that the sleep most likely wouldn't be a good one.

Annabel changed and took her place on the floor and wrapped the blankets tightly around her. She struggled to calm her mind down enough to sleep but eventually managed to fall into a restless slumber.

All night she tossed and turned as the vicious images flashed through her mind, terror, murder, loss. These horrors haunted her dreams every night yet she never remembered a thing in the morning. All she could remember was the name Jacob and she could now faintly make out his face.

That sleep was by far the worse she'd had. She remembered more in that night then she had before and that shook her to the core of her very being. Sweat dripped down her face as she dreamed more and more. When she finally woke in the early hours of the morning she let out a blood curdling scream.

Everyone in the house woke up and rushed to her side panicked.

"Annabel what is it!" Farlan yelled out. The three friends gathered around her and tried to shake her out of her little trance but nothing was working. She was shaking fiercely and sobbing incredibly. She shook her head over and over muttering, "Jacob" over and over as if it was the only word she knew.

"Annabel, snap out of it please," Isabel begged and pulled her friend into her arms. Annabel froze as the contact and looked around as if she had only just awoken.

"I-Isabel, make it stop please," she said barely above a whisper, "I can't handle a lot more of this. I don't even know what this is but it's driving me insane. I don't want to know anymore. I don't want to know." She started to silently cry into Isabel's shoulder. Everyone looked at her with wide eyes. Only Farlan had known about the nightmares but he didn't know how bad they had gotten.

After crying for what seemed like hours she fell back into a peaceful sleep. Isabel careful put her onto the bed before meeting the others in the main room of the house. She was tired from waking up at such an hour but she was more so worried for the welfare of her friend.

"She's starting to remember," Farlan said frustrated. He knew that it was a high probability that she would remember but when he spoke to her about remembering her words reached him and he realised that she completed the team. If she had to leave it'd be hard to relearn how to live without her.

"Tch, what a pain. If this keeps happening to her she's going to lose her shit," Levi mumbled to himself. He didn't appear it but he was worried. Would she be alright if this kept happening or would she really lose her mind? He didn't want to think about it. "We're going to have to be with her when she falls asleep. That's all we can do," he explained.

"Do you think she'll be alright? She seemed so shaken back there," Isabel sighed.

"It depends on her," Farlan replied, "Well her past actually. If it's all as bad as she made it out to be then she could be in trouble. We don't know anything that can help her at this point."

"Who is Jacob is the question we need to figure out. I've never heard the name before," Levi pointed out.

"I've never heard it either and by the sounds of it we won't hear it again. It seemed like something pretty bad happened to him," Farlan pointed out, "Poor girl having to see something like that. Out of all things to remember it had to be something like that."

"Hmph yes; for someone such as her that would be horrific," Levi pointed out. They nodded in agreement. "All we can do is be there for her. She's lost enough as it is." Now the two looked at Levi carefully. "It's not like she can do this on her own. She says she owes us but she's paid off her debt and more. It's the least we can really do."

Smirks appeared on Isabel and Farlan's face but Levi couldn't be bothered commenting on it. The two wanted to laugh at how naive Levi was being with his own emotions but they weren't really surprised. Making connections wasn't his strong suit so it wasn't a shock that he still wasn't admitting it to himself.

They were interrupted by Annabel entering the room. She didn't make a sound as she took a seat at the table as normal. She rested her head on her arms and closed her eyes. The night had taken a lot out of her and though she had just woken up she felt completely out of it.

"I'm sorry I woke you all last night. I don't know what got into me," she mumbled. The others looked at each other and sighed.

"You shouldn't apologise Annabel; it's alright. How are you feeling now?" Farlan asked with concern. Annabel opened her eyes and looked at him.

"I'm okay; I'm just tired. I don't even remember what caused me to do that. It felt so real though as if I was there in that moment. I don't understand this," she trailed off.

"I don't expect you too. How about you and I go out and do something to take your mind off it? We could do whatever you like," Farlan offered.

"I'd like that," she smiled which caused him to smile back. "I'll go get changed and get ready," she said cheerfully. She went off straight away to get ready. She needed to relax and find something to take her mind off what had just happened. Farlan went the same and went to equip his gear leaving Levi and Isabel in silence.

"So what are we going to do today Big Bro?" Isabel said cheerily. Levi just gave her a slight glare before getting up to walk towards his room.

"How the fuck should I know?" he snapped. Once he left the room Isabel laughed quietly at his outburst.

"I guess ignorance is bliss," she sighed. It was fun to see Levi falling and Annabel not noticing a thing. It's not that Isabel thought she didn't have any feelings for Levi; in fact it was the opposite. Annabel was just too innocent to realise those types of things. It was quite the amusing show.

Once Annabel and Farlan were both ready with the gear equipped they left the house and started to walk. Neither of them had much of a clue where they were going but Annabel had a slight idea. She quickened her pace slightly so that she was leading Farlan who didn't have an issue following. After walking in complete silence for ten minutes they reached the clearing where the sunlight shown through into the Underground. It was a quiet place where Annabel could watch the birds fly overhead and she could feel the cold breeze on her skin.

She let out a sigh of relief as nature surrounded her, "Thank you for taking me out Farlan. I needed this."

"Don't mention it. You looked pretty bad this morning," Farlan explained, "Your memories are causing you a lot of trouble sleeping. Has it always been like that?" Annabel continued to look up at the sky.

"No not at all. I do have trouble sleeping sometimes but it never caused me to wake up screaming like that. I don't know what happened." As she finished a small bird flew down into the crevice and landed atop Annabel's shoulder. She smiled at the feathery creature and Farlan looked in awe. He only knew of Isabel who would be able to do that. Slowly Annabel lifted a finger and scratched the birds chin. The bird looked scared by the movement but soon closed his eyes in bliss. "What's going to happen when we join the scouts?" she asked worried. She looked Farlan in the eye and he could see the fear she held inside her.

"We'll stick together and get through this. We're a team remember so there's no chance we'll leave each other behind. It won't be that bad. It's not for certain that we will be taken there though. There is a chance that Lobov's sources were wrong," Farlan pointed out but Annabel shook her head.

"If he wasn't sure then he wouldn't have come and told us. He's a man far above what we could dream of reaching Farlan so he's reliable. The question is more when than if," she explained, "Things are getting way to crazy now." She let out a nervous laugh and the bird that was rested upon her shoulder took flight once more.

Farlan knew she was right but he liked to hang on to that ray of hope. Though, in this world hope was more of a dream. Hope is something no one can afford to have because the price in the end could be a life. It's a harsh reality that the people of the Underground had to face.

The two sat down for hours before the once blue sky turned a warm orange. "We should head back now," Farlan said as he stood from the dusty ground.

"I guess so," she sighed sadly. She enjoyed having some time with Farlan so when it was over she was slightly disappointed. Farlan noticed this and an idea popped into his head.

"How about we have a race with the gear? Loser takes on the other's cleaning space," he smiled mischievously. Annabel laughed at the punishment and nodded her head in agreement.

"Let's do it," she cheered. They both got their gear ready and lined up. "Five, four, three, two o-" Annabel didn't even get to finish before Farlan took off at full speed. "Hey that's cheating!" she yelled out as she set off behind him. He was a fair distance ahead but Annabel knew better than to use her gas to catch up as it was extremely expensive to obtain.

The race gave Annabel a feeling of freedom. It felt as though she was truly flying and that nothing could ever bring her down from the pure bliss she was feeling. The wind blew on her face and she let out a sigh. She never felt as alive as when she used the gear as her wings. They were her own wings of freedom.

Annabel scanned the area around her for any signs of a short cut. She furrowed her eyes as she studied the buildings and smiled when she spotted one. It was a small gap but it lead right to the front door of the house.

Acting fast Annabel made a sharp turn into the alley. She shrieked when she noticed a loose pipe but it was too late. She hissed as it sliced her shoulder and placed her hand on her arm to try and stop the bleeding. She continued until she roughly landed on the doorstep. A groan escaped her lips as she sat up. Tears were pricking her eyes but she refused to let them fall.

"What do you think you're doing Brat?" She looked up to see an annoyed looking Levi standing over her. His eyes left her own and looked down to where she was grasping her shoulder. "What have you done?

"I was racing with Farlan when I took a short cut. I didn't notice the pipe..." she trailed off and Levi let out a sigh. "At least I won," she said with a trembling smile.

"Let me see it," Levi ordered.

Annabel shook her head, "It's just a scratch Levi. It's nothing to worry about," she explained but he didn't bother to listen to her.

"I'm not taking no as an answer. Now, show me." Annabel let out a sigh of defeat and held out her arm for Levi to look at. Levi was careful not to touch any of the blood that was escaping the injury as he inspected the wound.

"You got lucky. It's nothing serious but it will have to be treated," he explained. Annabel nodded in understand and carefully got up from her spot.

"Annabel what happened?" Farlan said as he landed right next to her. His eyes widened as he noticed the gash on her arm. "Are you okay?"

"Yes I just nicked my arm on a pipe. It's no big deal," she said with a reassuring smile, "I'm sorry for making you worry." Farlan smiled and shook his head. He was a little angry that she would take such a risk just to win a simple race. "You have to keep your word. There's no backing out now." Her smile turned mischievous as she let out a chuckle. Levi raised an eyed the two as they spoke.

"Don't worry I won't. You won fair and square so I'll keep my end of the deal," Farlan laughed.

"Are you two done yet?" Levi interrupted. The two looked at him and nodded. Levi's expression was irritated and a strange feeling was gathering inside him as he watched the two together. He couldn't explain it; it was something he had never felt before. He didn't like it in the slightest and it was causing his irritation to rise.

He grabbed onto Annabel's wrist and led her into his bedroom. A blush appeared on her cheeks at the sudden contact and she looked down so that no one could see it. He grabs out a first aid kit from underneath the bed as well as some cloth and some rubbing alcohol. Levi went and quickly wet the cloth before he began cleaning out the cut. Annabel let out the occasional hiss at the stinging sensation it caused.

"You know you could have died from that stunt?" Levi asked as he continued to wash out anything from the wound. His voice wasn't angry or annoyed. For once he sounded genuinely concerned which touched Annabel's heart.

"I wasn't thinking that at the time. I'm sorry; I should have been more careful," Annabel apologised. Levi clicked his tongue and shook his head.

"Just be glad you're breathing right now Brat. I'm going to put some of this on the cut so it's going to sting." Annabel nodded and closed her eyes. As soon as the alcohol made contact she let out a small scream. She grabbed onto Levi's hand and squeezed it tightly in hopes that it would relieve a bit of the pain. Levi's eyes softened as he eyed the girl in front of him. He didn't want to cause her pain but he knew it was highly possible that it would get infected if he didn't do this. As soon as she grabbed his hand his whole demeanour changed and a blush appeared on his cheeks. He was angry that she would risk her life so something so ridiculous but seeing her like this made his anger vanish.

Once he was finished he pulled his hand from hers and tied the bandage around her arm. She slowly opened her eyes one by one and inspected the work done on her arm. It was very neat and there wasn't a sign of blood left on her arm.

"You're all done. Don't do something so reckless again," Levi scolded. Annabel gave him a small smile.

"I won't Levi. Thank you," Levi nodded and left her alone in the room. Annabel was brought deep into her thoughts as she remembered the feeling she'd gotten when she held Levi's hand. Butterflies were moving around in her stomach and she began to feel nervous. She had no idea what it was but it made her smile and she was completely fine with that.


End file.
